A Common Denominator
by Lanthanon
Summary: Ever wonder what happened to that kid who bought four baby turtles and lost them to the sewers? This is his story. Originally a oneshot, it grew beyond my initial idea. Many thanks to Lycanth for betareading chapter 5. And sunbune for chapter 7.
1. Chapter 1: His Story

_Ever wondered what happened to that kid who lost four turtles to the New York sewers? Well, this is his story._

_First attempt for an OC. Don't expect something huge or anything._

……

He was twelve back then, but this was always one of his strongest memories throughout his life.

He remembered looking at the seedy looking overweight man standing behind a counter, reeking with beer and cigarettes as he handed three months worth of his allowance to the man's greasy palm. And without a word, the man gave him that glass aquarium with the four turtles that he spent all week looking at longingly.

Around him, he could see the rest of the animals, looking sickly and underfed and lonely from their respective cages. He figured it's to be expected, given that this pet store was located in the bad part of the city where no normal respectable person would even stroll into.

His parents never liked pets. They made it a point that he shouldn't bring any animal into their household despite that they were wet, wounded and dying in the road. But he persevered, he would smuggle an abandoned kitten into his room early in the morning before his family were up and took care of it until it's strong enough to move on its own. He would then release the feline to the rooftops and at evenings he would save milk for the cat. The cat visits him almost everyday, and then as it grew older, these visits became random, until finally the animal never came back. The cat was one of the lucky ones, though, more often than not he would shed silent tears to a dog that died, too young and weak to recover from its sickness or a pigeon, whom he was forced to throw away when his mother discovered the box that he hid under the bed.

Then one day he saw them… four baby reptiles displayed by the window in a questionable looking store, so defenseless and frail. He remembered his mother warning him not to go near the place, rumors of illegal business behind the building.

One of those rumors was that the owner of the pet shop usually sold the animals to be used as meat, when he suddenly made up his mind to find a way to rescue them.

It was an impulsive act. But he knew he had to do something.

He didn't know why he chose turtles… but he supposed he got the idea he read from a book. _Turtles aren't noisy creatures, and are easy to feed and take care of._

_Turtles are cool! _His mind assured him, steeling himself for the inevitable confrontation with his parents if and when they found out about this_. They'll make great household pets._

Still his heart was heavy as he left that store, the turtles in the safety of their bowl under his arm, leaving the other animals behind.

He wished he could have done more.

……

It was then he realized with a sinking feeling that his good fortune came to a crashing halt: he was unlucky enough to run into Marco, the resident bully from his public school. Seeing that he had no money and that he was only holding an aquarium of baby turtles, Marco decided to have fun to steal them instead.

Normally, he wouldn't even put up a fight against the huge boy. But he somehow had a ridiculous notion that he had the strength to protect them.

So it was a shock for him to see his aquarium flying from his arms, shattering into a million pieces as it touched the ground, the four reptiles falling into a drain leading to the sewers. It happened so fast that he couldn't process his thoughts afterwards.

He found himself screaming in rage, pushing against Marco, and attempting to punch him. But in the end he found himself sprawled on the ground with a bleeding lip, breathing heavily, with the bully saying angrily, "Get a grip, they're just dumb turtles!" as he left.

He was crying as he went home that evening. And despite his parents demanding to know what happened, he couldn't tell them about the events of that day. He couldn't admit he just spend money on pets he lost from his carelessness.

But more importantly, he realized he can't get them back anymore even if he did tell them, lost in the sewers, most likely ending up as rat food. What he only intended was to save them from a terrible fate, he ended up giving a hand to their destruction.

And this realization hurt him, more than his bleeding lip

……

He didn't know why he suddenly remembered this memory as he lifted his sleeping four year old girl into his arms, nodding in thanks to his ten year old neighbor who invited his daughter to attend the birthday party.

Maybe it had something to do that the party's mascot was a giant turtle.

"Cowabunga Carl," he said, watching the teenager putting away various party objects into his bag. His neighbors and their kids were raving about him for months now. It was strange to finally see him in person, "That's an interesting costume."

The kid shrugged, his voice muffled under his giant mask, "Well, the mouse and the bunny are already taken, dude."

He laughed despite himself, "Yeah, I guess that's a good point." He stared at the mascot, lost in thought, smiling to himself, saying fondly. "And turtles are cool."

Cowabunga Carl merely tilted his head, but waved good-naturedly back at him as he and his daughter left the apartment, into the fading sunset.


	2. Appendix A: Bad Turtle!

_Notes: Basically small parts of the story that never made it in the main one. I couldn't find it in my heart to delete them, so they're presented here as drabbles._

_I was warned not to give fictional cookies. Bummer. Anyways, up to you who the turtle is, even though it's obvious._

……

He was holding his aquarium close to his chest, waiting for the rain to stop as he sat under the roof of a bus stop. Maybe he was simply bored, but for some reason he decided to pet one of the baby turtles' head, curious of what their skin felt like. He held out his pointer finger, and immediately shouted in pain as the biggest of the four bit him hard, making him shake his hand rather violently to force the reptile to let go.

He stared at the turtle who erred him in grim seriousness, his finger throbbing. "I'm naming you Killer." He warned it, as if giving it a bad name would deter its bad habits.


	3. Alternate Ending: Little Fangirl

_Notes: Basically small parts of the story that never made it in the main one. I couldn't find it in my heart to delete them, so they're presented here as drabbles._

_And hey, this drabble is actually inspired from a review. Thanks, sunbune!_

……

His daughter adored Cowabunga Carl.

She made it a point to shyly push a drawing of the mascot during dinnertime, much to his amusement. Though he suspected it was her subtle way to tell him that she would very much like him to host her own birthday party.

Unfortunately, by the time Cowabunga Carl's popularity came to be from word of mouth, his girl had already celebrated her birthday. And so everyday, as though she feared he might possibly forget his promise to get him next time, she would drew the green mascot in her papers and notebooks, telling her father stories that she believed that Carl was a real walking, talking turtle, since the person mentioned told her he was.

He could only chuckle under his breath as he taped his little girl's latest work on his wall. This would be a very long year indeed.


	4. Appendix B: Nightwatcher

_Notes: Basically small parts of the story that never made it in the main one. I couldn't find it in my heart to delete them, so they're presented here as drabbles. Did some additions, so don't mind me._

……

He closed his TV with a sigh, as the anchorman from Channel 3 was about to talk about the Nightwatcher's recent capture of a local gang selling drugs.

Now, in his honest opinion, he considered the vigilante a hero of the city, but his paternal instincts sometimes kicked in without meaning to (something he developed over the years after the birth of his little girl), and often found himself wondering who the masked man was, if his family knew, and if they did know, if they were worried about him whenever they saw the news. Kids today were so reckless, thinking they can take on the world by themselves that they never knew the true dangers were lurking behind their backs.

He also wondered why the media was crazy over the guy. Why can't they just talk about the real issues? What about their city mayor with rumors of corruption and having connection with the underworld, or that this weekend was the hottest climate recorded in New York history? But he already knew the answer to that before he could even blink, the real reason why he turned that television off: the media was anticipating for the Nighwatcher to foul up in some way, to unmask him, to see him get hurt.

Or perhaps the most grim part of it all: a chance to see the Nightwatcher to die in a noble firefight in the end.

He hated thinking and feeling like that. It made him feel older.


	5. Alternate Ending: Fate

_Originally the story would have ended with the main character being robbed, but was rescued by Nightwatcher/Raphael, thus unwittingly "paying him back" in a cosmic sort of way (though they're still ignorant to each others' identity), with Raph ended up getting wounded, and the man helping him. However, that version felt out of place with how I started the story. So Raph was replaced by Mikey as "the Turtle the grown-up kid meets in the end"._

_I also felt back then that it would be a little too contrived that the main character gets to meet the Nightwatcher personally…. I mean seriously in a place like NY, what are the odds? But Reinbeauchaser inevitably gave me an idea that was buried and I just have to dig it up and write it again._

……

He cursed under his breath as he hurried down the alleyway. He had to get to his daughter's school, and for some unfathomable reason he could not find himself a ride. Taxis were full and the public bus was delayed because of the heavy traffic; it would take too long to even wait for it.

Even though he knew the dangers of venturing alone, he could not miss his girl's performance in the school production for anything, not even common sense.

So it was a surprise for him when a huge mass of leather crashed right in front of him as he took the shortest route to his destination. He instinctively looked around for any hidden cameras from TV shows that he somehow unwittingly walked into. Seeing that he was all alone with someone (who happened to look like a huge metal bike racer), he realized in shock that the smaller man's right arm was bleeding, his blood dripping on the concrete floor.

He immediately kneeled at his side helping him to sit up.

"Hey, you alright?"

"Damn punk barely shot my arm…", the person muttered in a thick Brooklyn accent, his left arm attempting to staunch the blood.

"Hey, take it easy… hold on…" he said as he opened his bag to get his white coat neatly folded next to his video camera. He ripped off its sleeve, using the linen material as a makeshift bandage.

The masked man hesitated for a moment, but offered his arm to his ministrations. It looked like he was shot as he said, but fortunately it seemed that it was only a flesh wound, as evidenced by the tear of his costume, "What, you a doctor?"

He shrugged, "Sort of. I'm a veterinarian."

The vigilante stared at him for a moment before he laughed out loud behind his helmet, as if it was the funniest joke he ever heard. He ignored the obvious mockery directed at him as he tightened the bandage around the vigilante's arm.

"That'll do it for now. It'll stop the bleeding." He said, standing up and dusting his overcoat. "I could just take you to a real doctor and…"

Here the kid shook his head, and even he knew it was a dumb suggestion. Masked heroes don't usually go to public places where it's normally… polite, for lack of a better word… to give away his identity.

"Then you should go home and rest up." He said quietly, looking around the alleyway, but as he looked back at his patient… _What the hell?_

He was nowhere to be found. And if it wasn't for the blood on his hands that were holding his torn lab coat, he would have thought he just dreamt it all.

He frowned in worry. "Take care of yourself, kid." He said, hoping that the young man could somehow hear him

……

He made it the school with plenty of time to spare and he hurriedly headed for the auditorium, wielding a bulky camera in hand.

"Don't you have a feeling," a sighing teenager was saying to her friend he couldn't help overhearing, as he passed by, "that in some way, somehow, we're born to meet someone and change his life forever?"

He shook his head at the ridiculous romantic notion as he pushed the doors open.

As if anyone was really that lucky.


	6. Chapter 2: Letting Go

He had always hated euthanasia. Every time he contemplated on that word, his painful memories resurfaced to rear its ugly head… he remembered his sadness when he was just a child, surrounded by weak and dying animals, pleading in silence to rescue them from that shop; his mother forcing him to get rid of the sick pigeon; the fateful day that he lost his turtles into the mercy of the dark and wet sewers, too weak and powerless to save them; the day he first administered the medicine to a dying dog while he was in training, and the child within him, the one he already outgrew from, would be screaming at his older self that surely he could do something more for it. That he can save them all if he really put his mind into it.

He didn't know why this part of him endured all this time, as it was always in conflict with his practical side, the one that kept his world weariness and pessimism that accumulated all those years. He knew the dog reached its limits of its life, and that by granting it a peaceful death, it would be at the presence of the family who loved and took care of it, easing the pain away.

_Why? Why do I have to do this?!_, his younger self demanded.

…_Because it's the right thing to do. I mustn't be cruel _… he sighed as he steeled himself.

Always, though, despite the years in this line of work, his throat was dry as he looked at the owner after seeing the obvious signs in her weak terrier, her eyes betraying her grief and her realization on what his next words would be.

……

The seedy looking pet shop was abandoned, wooden planks covering where the window was once been, where, as a boy, he used to look into so many years ago.

Every time he finished his euthanasia sessions, watching as the animal passed away peacefully with its owner weeping, he always ended up here, as though he was trying to numb himself from caring by allowing his first failures manifested themselves in front of him.

"Daddy, daddy… where does it hurt?" his daughter would ask him, looking into his face intently, trying to emulate him whenever she cuts her thumb or scrape her knee: kissing the aching part once and telling her the magic took the pain away (to her delight, it worked, always). Although her kisses did make him smile, his somber mood remained for the rest of the day. If it was really bad, it usually lasted longer.

She was always worried about him on days such as these. But he assured her that these feelings of his will one day pass.

He sighed, raking his hair with his hand. Who was he kidding, really? This "thing" was apparently still bugging him for the last fifteen years.

"Is something bothering you, my son?"

He jumped, startled by the fact he was not alone, and instinctively looked at the person who addressed him. He saw that the person who spoke to him was under the dark shadow of the building, and he could not see his features, over bundled under his coats from the cold. But the way he was standing still against the wall away from him, he somehow felt that this visitor was not so threatening.

"My mind always goes to this place during my meditations," He heard a strong Asian … Japanese, maybe?... accent, in a soothing tone, as if he was trying to assure him that he didn't mean to frighten him a moment ago. "It was as if I was meant to be here, waiting for something. Or someone."

That was pretty deep. He smiled wryly; his reason for being here was quite juvenile.

"I bought my first pets from this shop." He said thoughtfully, memories of that day flooded into his mind vividly, as if it all happened yesterday. "Turtles, actually, got all four of them because I didn't want to leave one of them all lonely. I thought I was big enough to take care of them and keep them safe." He didn't know why he told this tale to some random stranger. He figured he must be a lot depressed than he thought, "I was wrong. I lost them before I even started…"

His companion took the words in, contemplating, "I always make it a point to visit here as soon as I found out about this place many years ago, I can only imagine what it was like back then… the stories back then are true, you know."

Yeah, it was true. He wasn't there when the police and the animal rights activists raided the store years ago, but it was enough to close that business for good. Which was probably why he still felt so bad… if he wasn't so deluded to play hero and intervened, the turtles would had been saved back then as well.

His companion continued, as though he just read his thoughts, "But do not allow these feelings of guilt fill your heart. I know this for certain. The turtles that you lost are now living healthy and happy and freer than you can even imagine."

He highly doubted that, "That's vaguely optimistic of you."

"I say this because it is the truth, and…" here he heard the older man's voice trying to keep his composure. "As a father, I thank you from my heart."

He frowned in confusion, _Huh? What has that got to do with the lost turtles?_

He turned around, and stared.

……

He was still contemplating about that encounter as he went home, not sure what he'd felt about all of this. But as he was already seeing the baby sitter off from his front door, his daughter came running towards him.

"Daddy, does it still hurt?" She asked, her eyebrows frowning.

He smiled as he picked her up in his arms and hugged her. "No, not anymore," he answered her quietly, and he was certain as soon as he heard himself say those words that it was true.

She simply laughed happily for him, believing the magic had something to do with it, and that was all that mattered.

…..

_Dude, can you imagine if the kid got three turtles instead? The horror..._

_I figured that, yeah, it's time for the main character to move on forward without the burden that he carried all these years, and I think that Splinter, instead of a reunion with the four Turtles, fill in that role of removing that burden for him nicely. _

_Did he found out about Splinter, or did the sensei use some crazy ninja disappearing act? That's up to you. :D_

_I do have one last chapter coming up though. _


	7. Final Chapter: Fathers

-----

_Dedicated to my own father, who always worried a little too much for us. We miss you immensely._

-----

On the rare moments that his daughter was away to spend a summer week with her maternal grandparents in the countryside, he made it a point to close the clinic much later than usual, as he couldn't really bear to spend the long evenings in his quiet house.

Regardless, he found himself looking forward to those rare moments, when his friend would personally visit him in his clinic, as it was probably the only appropriate time to do so...considering said friend was a bipedal giant rat who knows ninjutsu.

It was strange how this friendship started really. After meeting Splinter, he'd go to the derelict pet shop almost every day to see him. And they would talk for hours about themselves… about their families and their lives, neither of them able to contain their surprise at their common denominator.

He was unsure how he felt when he found out those baby turtles were all alive and well… and quite different from the last time he saw them.There was a sense of happiness, yes, and relief… but what surprised him the most was that he insisted that Splinter never tell them about him at all.

And even though Splinter assured him that his sons would be interested to see him, he calmly replied that it would feel too strange… he wasn't ready. His guilt was gone of course, but what replaced it instead was shame… really how could he face someone, four someones, who literally became the embodiment of his own failure throughout his life?

Splinter eventually gave up the suggestion, having the wisdom to figure out the source of his reluctance. Or he decided that he did quite enjoy having a human friend of his own with no one else to share.

After Splinter's physical check up, the veterinarian gave him a clean bill of health… though he would vocally lament to the sensei that he didn't delve too much into rodent anatomy, (but was now making up for it by studying books), they would finally sit down and chat.

"So, how's the book?" He had given Splinter his college book on complete animal anatomy when the sensei told him that one of his sons was dabbling in medicine.When Splinter warned him that his son would be suspicious if he were to produce such a book in quite a good condition, the veterinarian fixed the dilemma by pouring his half-full coffee on some of the pages.

"Donatello complains the previous owner of the copy is a 'slob'." Splinter said matter-of-factly, but a small grin illuminated his features. "But he appreciates it greatly, thank you."

Despite that they had all the time to talk other things, they were both fathers, and sometimes their children ended up in the majority of their conversations.

"She reminds them of my wife when she was that age," he confided to Splinter, regarding his in-laws and their strong fondness of his girl. "It gives comfort to them to see her, and I can't really blame them. But the house is lonely without her around…"

"Perhaps you should retire from being a widower and remarry."

He laughed as he placed the pot on the small stove, heating the water. "You sound just like my mom. That's creepy."

"I am serious. Don't you consider finding your daughter a mother figure? Raising a child on your own is difficult work. I should know. I have four."

That did enter his mind on the rare moments he allowed himself to think about it, but… "I guess I'm just too lazy to go out and find someone." He admitted slowly, "Maybe once my daughter grows a bit older…"

Splinter chuckled. "You can never see your child 'older', I'm afraid."

He inwardly cringed, knowing that it was an absolute truth. He was not looking forward to the day young men would wait for her at the door.

"I've sent my eldest away, you know. He's been gone for almost a week now," Splinter said. "And my home has also gotten quieter as of late."

"It must be hard."

"Yes. But I believe allowing him to see the world beyond our own will give him the wisdom and the growth he needs to understand himself more."

"How're the other kids taking it?"

"They're not talking about it much… but they miss him immensely. Especially Raphael, even when he is at his worst behavior. He'll never admit it though." Splinter sighed. "I often wonder if I did the right thing by doing this… perhaps I should wait for them to grow up a bit more, to get them used to living separately…" he stopped when his friend gave him his tea.

He only smiled ruefully, "You can never see your child older." He echoed him.

Splinter forced a laugh. Too hard, in fact. "That's correct."

"Is that all?" He asked, concern shadowing his features. Splinter, even though calm, displayed a bit of agitation by the way his whiskers moved.

"I am getting old," the old rat sighed. "I wonder if my children can handle it when my time comes. I trust them completely, of course…" he quickly added.

"It's normal to feel that way. You worry for their future."

"It's…quite distressing nonetheless." Splinter looked at his hands, making him look frailer than he felt. "I am sorry. Here I am making you feel bad, when I am trying to cheer you up."

He simply shook his head, telling the sensei that he did no such thing and now is the time to change the subject… "By the way, I was sorting my wife's things in the cabinet, you know, to give to her parents, when I found something interesting."

Splinter's ears perked up when he gave him his present, and he couldn't help smiling widely as well.

It was a DVD collection of _Dallas_.

------

He walked his friend to the dark alley as soon as he closed the clinic. He was allowing his mind to wander on what he should say next to ease the silence when Splinter stopped and looked at him squarely in the face.

"My friend," he said, "You would not mind if I tell my sons about you one day?"

He was hoping that the sensei would not bring up that conversation again, though he gave props to Splinter that he managed not to talk about it for weeks now… "If you think they are ready." He managed to say.

"No." For the first time since he met him, Splinter looked stern. "If _you_ are."

He looked at him in confusion.

"Never think that you are not important in their lives." Splinter said, "For you are a kind person who saved them so many years ago. I cannot allow them to forget that, and neither should you."

"I just… I don't know what to say once I see them."

His friend's stern look softened. "You don't have to. But I should warn you that I will tell them anyway, whether you're ready or not. But not for a long time, I should think. Also, I don't even guarantee if they'll bother to see you. But if they do one day… will you let them in?"

He took a deep breath, suddenly feeling like he was a young boy once again, on the day he entered that pet shop: defying his parents, his fears, and his own thoughts. The child locked away within him was practically shouting now _"Well? What are you waiting for?!"_

"Yeah…" he said slowly but it was with strong conviction. "I will."

He could have been only talking to himself. For Splinter was already gone.

-----

_As promised, the __final__ chapter__, this is meant as an AU or an extension of the chapter before it_

_ I had fun __writing__ with this character, and I hope you enjoy the stories as much as I did. Thank you for reading and for the reviews. It meant a lot._

_I'd also like to give m__any__, many__ thanks to __sunbune__ for the beta and her insights__ in this tale__ You rock. _


End file.
